Last week, NHL great Jeremy Roenick was in Seattle, kicking the tires on a potential expansion franchise. A source close to the discussions claims Roenick wants to be a “front man” for any team, and there may be as many as three groups working to bring an NHL team to Seattle.

One part owner, and familiar face in Seattle, has heard the rumblings.

“I believe the NHL will work very, very well in Seattle,” said Tod Leiweke, the former Seahawks, Sounders, and Portland Trailblazers CEO. He’s now running the day-to-day operations of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, and is a minority investor in the franchise. He sat in on the meeting this afternoon.

“Hockey will work in Seattle,” he says bluntly after the meeting wrapped up at the hotel Monday. He says the league has taken notice of the fan support for the Seahawks, and Sounders in particular, and that it could be a selling point for any expansion franchise.

I think there is something to the Quebec report. The likely owner for the franchise, Pierre Karl Peladeau, mentioned the other day that he has had talks with the NHL and with the new arena already being built, it just makes too much sense.

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RIP Pat Burns -- RIP Alexander Vasyunov and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Winner of the 2008 Sergei Brylin Award for Most Underrated Poster
Co-Winner of the 2011 Scott Bertoli Award for Best Minor League Poster, Winner of the 2012 Scott Bertoli Award

The Panthers won't fold. It 'aint good down there, but it 'aint THAT bad either. When was the last time a franchise outright folded? The California Seals?

The Panthers have an ironclad lease. They also just got new ownership, and it appears like us they have money to spend. That's been their biggest problem is that they could never spend to the cap. Contrary to popular belief, they haven't been a horrible franchise. Personally I think their past 20 years have been better than the Islanders past 20 years despite the Isles making the playoffs more. The Panthers have actually been an 80- 90 point team for almost their entire history.

To answer your question I do believe it was the Seals.

Is there enough talent for new expansion. As long as the KHL is a viable alternative, the NHL would be stretching it to disburse talent to a few more teams.

I guess with expansion it also gives more opportunities for KHL players to get back to the NHL.

There's plenty of talent to have 2 more teams in the league. There's a lot of NHL caliber talent not playing in the NHL. I think it's only a myth that more teams would dilute the talent pool. You can easily make two 23 man rosters of players good enough to be in the NHL who aren't currently playing in the NHL. Of course, a lot of those players simply choose not to play in the NHL.

I see Seattle and Quebec as locks. I also believe another team out West is highly probable. I see the Florida Panthers folding.

A longshot is Bettman goes super agressive and adds another Ontario team along with say KC.

I'm not disagreeing or anything, but why would the Panthers fold when they could be sold and/or move? I can't think of a major sports league team folding since the Barons 3 1/2 decades ago. I think if the NHL allowed this they'd appear completely bush league again. Franchises may have troubles and they may need to move, but outright "going out of business" just doesn't seem like an option any longer for the big four leagues. Now other leagues are a completely different matter. OTOH, maybe something has been said that I'm not aware of.

In any event, I would love to see teams in Seattle and Quebec. I think most sports fans fail to truly appreciate just how far back the roots of hockey go for Seattle. It has been amazing that they've not gotten a team until this point. And Quebec not having a team is just not right. It's like not having funnel cake at the short or something. Ya just can't have that....

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Aaron / AEWHistory --- Rockies/Devils fan since 1981!

Trenton Makes and the World Takes..... Or.... Trenton Uses What the World Refuses